Children's corner - celebrity authors of children's books - Book Review

Ebony, Jan, 2004

IT might look like child's play, but these days it seems that more and more celebrities and celebrity authors of adult books are taking children's books seriously. Here is a sample of stellar offerings:

Friends of a Feather: One of Life's Little Fables (Harper-Entertainment, $16.95) by Bill Cosby, illustrated by Erika Cosby, is the colorful story of a zealous bird who learns to move from under the wing of his best friend and teaches us all the power of being oneself--valuable lessons from the man who has always been able to speak to the child in all of us with his Fat Albert series and so many other offerings. Ages 4-8. PLEASE, BABY, PLEASE (Simon & Schuster, $16.95) by Spike Lee and Tonya Lewis Lee, illustrated by Kadir Nelson, is a lyrical day-in-the-life story focusing on the high-energy, endless-surprise world of the toddler, and is completely drawn from the charming experiences of the Academy Award-nominated film director and his attorney wife based on their own survival of the terrific 2s with their daughter and son. Ages 2-5. JUST THE TWO OF US (Scholastic Press, $16.95) by Will Smith, illustrated by Kadir Nelson, is the celebration of fatherhood and family values through the critical development of a young man, inspired by Smith's relationship with his own son and his hit cover of the Bill Withers classic tune. Ages 5 and up. WHO'S GOT GAME? (Scribner, $16.95) by Toni Morrison and Slade Morrison, illustrated by Pascal Lemaitre, is a series of books (The Ant or the Grasshopper, The Lion or the Mouse and Poppy or the Snake) that takes Aesop's fables and adds a good deal of contemporary edge to the characters and their messages that virtually leap right off the page. Pulitzer Prize-winner and Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison and her son Slade have reimagined the classic tales set to the colorful illustrations of Lemaitre to give new life to these stories. All ages. KOFI AND HIS MAGIC and MY PAINTED HOUSE, MY FRIENDLY CHICKEN AND ME (Crown, $7.99, trade paperback) by Maya Angelou, with photographs by Margaret Courtney-Clarke, are lyrical picture books set in Africa. In Kofi we meet an enchanting 7-year-old West African boy with boundless imagination, and in My Painted House we share the joys and challenges of an 8-year-old South African girl, both presenting the rich beauty and life lessons of African culture. Ages 6-9. Additionally, two young people's titles-inspired by famous fathers--have been penned by their daughters. PROMISES TO KEEP: HOW JACKIE ROBINSON CHANGED AMERICA (Scholastic Press, $16.95) by Sharon Robinson, with family archival photographs, is a lovingly written biography by the only daughter of the man who not only broke the color barrier in baseball and changed American history in the process, but also taught his children "that the only measure of life is the impact you have on others." All ages. I SHOOK UP THE WORLD: THE INCREDIBLE LIFE OF MUHAMMAD ALI (Beyond Words Publishing, $16.95) by Maryum (May May) All, illustrated by Patrick Johnson, with a foreword by Muhammad All, is the inspirational story of "The Greatest" by his eldest of nine children, organized around a series of boxing rounds each covering a different period of the champion boxer's championship life. All ages.